Three-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

"If I go more than a day or two without pasta, watch out, because I get nasty," jokes one CookingLight.com user. Other users admit hankering for high-quality cheese. Keep a close eye on the flour while it cooks so it doesn't burn. For a weeknight supper, bake the macaroni in an 8-inch square baking dish for 35 minutes.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 ramekin)

Ingredients

• 1  teaspoon  olive oil
• 1  cup  finely chopped onion (about 1 medium)
• 2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2  cups  1% low-fat milk
• 1  bay leaf
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
• 3/4  cup  (3 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 2  cups  uncooked elbow macaroni (about 8 ounces)
• Cooking spray
• 2/3  cup  (about 2 1/2 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 2/3  cup  panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/8  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 8 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add flour and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in milk and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add Gorgonzola, 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, and salt; stir until cheeses melt. Discard bay leaf.

2. Preheat oven to 375°.

3. Cook pasta in boiling water 5 minutes or until almost tender, omitting salt and fat; drain well. Add pasta to cheese mixture, stirring well. Place about 1/2 cup pasta mixture into each of 6 (1-cup) ramekins coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella. Top evenly with remaining pasta mixture. Combine remaining 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano and panko; sprinkle evenly over pasta mixture. Spray lightly with cooking spray; sprinkle with black pepper. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until heated.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

321 (28% from fat)

Fat:

9.9g (sat 5.6g,mono 2.3g,poly 0.9g)

Protein:

17.4g

Carbohydrate:

40.8g

Fiber:

2.4g

Cholesterol:

26mg

Iron:

1.5mg

Sodium:

487mg

Calcium:

332mg